We Were Legends
by Queen Allura
Summary: Has the world changed so much that I wouldn't even recognize it? Or do pirates still freely roam the seas? Do dream seekers continue to chase legendary treasures? Hold onto your hats, readers, because this first story might shock you and it may come off as crazy. Before I begin, I have one last question: Do you believe in reincarnation? Rating may change. Romance? Maybe. SIOC
1. Chapter 1

_**WE WERE LEGENDS  
PART I  
CHAPTER ONE**_

 **Well, I suppose if you're reading this, then I did it. I managed to get this story out to the world. Hopefully multiple copies, with the others' help. I can't be** _ **sure**_ **of when or where in time you've found this, dear reader. Has the world changed so much that I wouldn't even recognize it? Or do pirates still freely roam the seas? Do dream seekers continue to chase legendary treasures? … Well, enough pointless questions. If you picked up this book, it was because you wanted to know our story. Now where to begin? The stories of our crew vary in intensity and all began at different times. Or do we skip the past and start right with the adventure? I've included the stories of our past, which you can find in PART I. Skip them if you wish, but let me warn you that our pasts are an integral part of the story as a whole. We'll begin with mine, I suppose. Hold onto your hats, readers, because this first story might shock you and it may come off as crazy. Before I begin, I have one last question: Do you believe in reincarnation?** **  
** **  
**The last thing I remembered was seeing headlights heading for my car and the horrible sounds of brakes screeching and metal crashing against metal echoing in my ears. The next thing I remembered was a bright light - sunlight? - and fuzzy people shaped blobs flitting in and out of my field of vision. Perhaps it was because of my twenty four year old brain in this tiny, obviously newborn body, but it was weeks before I began to recognize all the things my still developing eyes were seeing. My mother looked like an unhappy woman - dressed in fancy, expensive clothing with her face all done up with makeup and wild ashy blonde waves, even with a obvious hint that she lived well… she wasn't happy. Father was a mean faced man with long, greasy looking black hair and a mustache and he looked like he was constantly sucking a lemon.

The only one who ever looked happy was my older brother, who turned four years old just one day shy of a month before my birthday. He seemed fascinated with me from the beginning, always hanging around Mother and I whenever he was done with his studies for the day. He would blabber on a mile a minute as he recounted all the different things he learned that day, not stopping until Mother's unsurprisingly thin patience would snap. Chastised and with a deep sadness that no small child should have in their eyes, he would retreat to his room and it would be hours before he would dare to come out again. He would even sit with me in the nursery at night, weaving stories that no normal child would understand, but that I followed with ease.

"I'll always protect you, Bryony."

It was a whispered promise. One he did his very best to keep - visiting every day, keeping an extra close eye on me once I learned how to crawl around six months of age. Most of his free time was spent keeping me from getting into things I wasn't supposed to. But suddenly, around nine months old, when I began to toddle about on uncertain feet, he began spending less and less time with me as Mother and Father began piling more and more lessons into his schedule. Manners, dancing, math, reading, writing, piano, history - the list was never ending. I was lucky to see him every two or three days at the least, once a week at the most.

Around eleven months old, my unsteady steps began to shift into a brisk walk and before I knew it I was speeding around the house just in time for my first birthday. It felt like I was as quick footed as a ninja - much to my parents' ire and my brother's amusement, I would vanish the second you took your eyes off of me. Tracking me down soon became something almost like a game to my brother, but it didn't keep me from realizing that he was smiling less and less.

Two months after he turned five, when I was only fourteen months old I awoke and he wasn't there. I huffed unhappily from the crib and began chanting out his name, calling for him as I had started to do every morning.

"Bo! Bo!"

But he was just… gone. No amount of searching led to where he had vanished to, although Father kept the search going for weeks. After three months, he finally gave up, sure that some terrible fate had befallen my brother. But it wasn't true and we all knew it. My brother had run away, the hatred he held for this house - for High Town in general - had finally become too much for him. He had been suffocating under the responsibilities and expectations that our parents had forced upon. He had grown so far apart from our parents after he realized that they cared more about what their lives would be like thanks to him rather than caring about what would become of him like good parents should.

He left, but at the same time I _knew_ he was still watching out for me. Sometimes I would find new toys in my room - ones I knew hadn't been there the day before. Sabo was still coming to see me, he was just doing at times when my parents wouldn't know - during the middle of the night. Sabo was always looking out for me, even if I couldn't see him. But without their son to foist their attention and expectations on, it was only a matter of time before Mother and Father turned their attention to me. Their one and only daughter.

By age two I was undergoing the same rigorous study schedule that Sabo had suffered through for so long - learning how to speak properly and politely, learning how to read, how to write, how to dance, and play piano, and how to _act like a lady._ It was overwhelming and suffocating and it made it so easy to see why Sabo would want to do nothing but run and escape. I itched to do the same, to go with Sabo and just leave High Town behind. But at two years old, I would only be a burden to Sabo right now.

So I would leave when I was five - just like he had done. I could endure it all, at least for that long. I could put up with the lessons, and the harsh words from Mother and Father, the dresses, and being expected to schmooze up to the other Nobles as if they were better than me or any other person in the world. For the first time, I found myself hating that I was born into a wealthy family. The wealth was not worth losing the pieces of myself that made me a compassionate human being. Sabo had seen what this life had turned our parents into and realized that he didn't want that.

I didn't want that either. So I would endure, and just like my brother before me, I would one day just quietly vanish much as he had. It quickly became obvious that while I did excel at certain things - speech, reading and writing were things I began to pick up on with ease, most likely due to the fact that my brain was that of a twenty four year olds. But I continued to struggle with math as well as learning the piano, much to my Father's displeasure. Though I had been musically inclined in my previous life, it had been limited to playing flute in my high school marching band and performances in my high school's extremely small drama club.

Playing the perfectly polite daughter came much easier than it probably should have. As far as my parents were concerned, I was polite as could be and seemed to be turning into exactly what they wanted me to be - the sort of girl that held her tongue and was a perfect lady. I couldn't wait to shed that image and find out exactly what kind of person this version of me was going to be. This new chance was an opportunity to be different - to be more interactive with others, to be more outgoing, to have more than just two friends who I was pretty sure only hung out with me from obligation.

This was a new beginning.

 **~WWL~**

The first time I actually laid eyes on Sabo after he left was the night before what would have been my fourth birthday. I had been sent to my room after completing my reading and math lessons, with the promise of starting World History the next day ( _joy_ ) and a book tucked under my arm. I had just closed the door behind me and turned around to plod over to my desk when I realized someone was _sitting_ at it, watching me with a gap-toothed grin.

"Bo!" I squealed, dropping the book and launching across the room to wrap my arms around him.

He laughed. "Hi, Bryony."

I giggled, burying my face in his chest. "Miss you, Sabo."

"I've missed you, too," he answered. "It's strange being away from home, but I like it so much better out there than I did here in High Town."

"It is suffocating," I agreed. "I understand why you left - wish I could just run away and join you."

To my surprise, he gave a sharp shake of his head. "No way. The forest and the mountains are way to dangerous for you."

I snorted. "You ran away when you were _five_."

"Yeah, and even then I needed help from another boy to survive!" Sabo sighed. "Even with Ace, surviving is hard. We have to hunt our own food, steal from people just to have money to save up and that's not counting when we actually have to spend it when either of us get sick, or when we feel like eating actual food made by someone else for a change."

"A hard life is still better than a life that's decided for you," I said firmly, crossing my arms. "Besides, when I leave here - and I _will_ eventually - I'll have you."

"... There's no way to talk you out of this, is there?"

I smiled innocently. "No~pe."

"How did I get such a brat for a little sister?" Sabo sighed, running a hand over his face.

He was too young to have such a worried look on his face, and I hated seeing it. So to distract both him and myself from the heavy conversation, I picked the book up from the ground and handed it to him.

"Read this yet?"

He scanned the title. " _A Semi-Complete Guide to Devil Fruits_? What the hell is a Devil fruit?"

I grinned widely. "They're fruits that supposedly give people crazy powers, but the price for eating one can be steep. You won't be able to swim, which in this day and age is a pretty big sacrifice. But some of these powers make it seem _so_ worth it. There are three different classes of Devil Fruits, and a couple of those even have sub-classes. But the fruits are rare in and of themselves, and some of the subclasses are even more so - like Mythical and Ancient Zoans."

Sabo thumbed through the book. " _There are three main classes of Devil Fruit: Paramecia, Zoan and Logia. Each class has different effects on the human body and some are more powerful than others._ Huh, seems like some pretty interesting stuff. But I can't see any power that would be worth giving up being able to swim."

"Not even to control some sort of element?" I reached over and turned a few pages in, where there was a list documenting known Devil Fruits and what they did. "See this one here? The Rumble-Rumble Fruit lets someone control electricity, create it, and they can even turn their body into it. And Zoans let some transform into a hybrid animal-human form or even into a full animal form. It's really fascinating."

Sabo made a noise of assent and closed the book, setting it on my desk. "Yeah, it is. Too bad we'll probably never seen one or anyone who uses one, since Devil Fruits are so rare."

"So rare outside the Grand Line, maybe," I argued. "The book says Devil Fruit users are a belli a dozen in the Grand Line and New World. And one day I'll see both and see all kinds of amazing Devil Fruits and powers."

Sabo chuckled and changed the subject to his new friend - by the time night began to fall, I knew more about Portgas D. Ace than I probably needed to know - including a secret that Sabo had been unable to keep.

"Gold Roger? Seriously?" I hissed.

"Shut up!" Sabo spluttered, arms flailing. "You _can't_ tell anyone. Ace would kill me if he knew I told you!"

I snorted in a very unladylike manner that would give Mother a heart attack. "Who am I going to tell? I don't care who his dad was. Gold Roger is long dead and gone and the only thing that still lives on is that he started the Great Pirate Era."

"You say as if that's not a big deal," Sabo muttered before pushing himself to his feet. "I should get going."

"Do you have to go?"

"Yeah, can't risk being seen," he replied, picking up a - was that a pipe? - that was leaning against the wall near my open window. "I'm honestly surprised Dad hasn't come to check on you."

I shrugged. "They pretty much leave me alone once I finish my lessons - probably because I've proven to be so well behaved and act like a _perfect little lady._ "

Sabo grinned. "You sure have them fooled, Bry. Oh, and happy birthday."

He reached into his coat and drew out a crudely wrapped package, tossing it to me. I fumbled the catch, but thankfully it didn't fall to the floor. I unwrapped it as he launched himself out of the window and to the ground below. It was a locket and on the inside was a picture of Sabo, grinning his gap-toothed grin and pipe slung over his shoulder in the picture. I smiled and closed it before slipping the locket on over my head and hiding it under the front of my dress.

It wouldn't due for Mother or Father to find out Sabo was still alive - not when he was so happy where he was and with Ace. It would be our little secret, mine and Sabo's.

Days passed by even more slowly after Sabo came to visit, and I found myself getting more and more bored with my lessons with each one that dragged by. If Mother and Father took any notice, neither said anything. As long as I was putting on the ruse of the perfect child, they were content with letting spend my free time however I pleased. As days turned to weeks and then into months, Sabo didn't visit again, but I had begun to hear whispers among the townspeople. Some had heard rumors from the guards about two young boys causing trouble in the lower parts of the city - stealing, dining and dashing and getting into scuffles with other thieves and thugs that lived there. I never heard mention of any names - it was unsurprising that the Nobles didn't remember - but I knew in my heart that those boys had to be Sabo and Ace.

It was nice to know that they were thriving.

Then one day, five months after Sabo's visit, it happened.

"Bryony."

My back stiffened and I forced myself to smile prettily. "Yes, Father?"

"We'll be having guests for dinner tomorrow - another Noble family and their young son. Be on your best behavior - he could be a future suitor."

 _Oh, please kill me._

"Of course, Father."

Translation? Over my dead body, old man. However much Sabo might have been against it before, it was more and more apparent that time for me to flee was running out. So I would start planning first thing after lights out and I would be gone before that damnable dinner could ever happen.

I was not the type of girl to just sit still and look pretty.

 **~WWL~  
**

The plan was a simple one: convince Mother that I needed a new dress. The woman would toss me a wad of cash, ramble off some list of forbidden colors, and tell me what time to be back. Perhaps it was because they were safe within the sturdy walls of High Town with guards around every corner, but I had always thought it was stupid that my mother would let me shop alone.

It just went to show that the Nobles truly felt like nothing and no one could touch them here within these walls.

Mother shoved a rather ridiculously large bundle of beri into my hands, made sure I had the family pendant with me and rushed me out the door with platitudes to 'have fun' and 'be back by noon' and slammed the door behind me. I blinked up at it for a moment, thoroughly unimpressed before turning on my heels - seriously, what kind of parent put a four year old in heeled shoes? - and started off down the street. A quick count of the money told me that I had about a hundred thousand - money my mother believed was going to be spent on a dress but that would actually be used to buy some much more suitable clothes that would be much more comfortable than the frilly dress I currently wore. Even though the shops did carry things like jeans and the like for girls and women, the supply was small. And to go with them was an abundance of the STAR clothing line - various t-shirts, tank tops and the like made with high quality material that cost a pretty beri. Just three shirts and four pair of pants cost around seventy-five thousand beri, leaving me with only twenty-five thousand to bribe Sabo with.

Though I was hoping it wouldn't come to bribery - I was his baby sister after all, surely he would let me stay after I told him that Father was already beginning to consider who I would end up married to one day, right? … Right? A sigh left my lips and I realized that the odds of Sabo being okay with his sister being a four year old runaway were slim to none - that hypocrite.

Well, I would deal with that problem when it came around - or completely ignore the situation and any attempt Sabo made at speaking about it. He had only visited that one time since he had left, he hadn't been around to realize exactly how stubborn I could be when I wanted to be.

Getting out of High Town was what proved to be a problem. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't figure out how Sabo had done it. Had he snuck past the guards at the front gate? Had he climbed the wall? I realized I should have really thought this out more. But there were _some_ things I could use to my advantage. Ducking behind a building, I shimmied on one of the small pair of jeans I had acquired under my dress. A quick look around revealed no one around and I quickly discarded the dress for one of the shirts. Then, grabbing one of the side in my hands, I yanked, pleased with the ripping noise that came to my ears even as I practically heard my brain sob over the waste of money. Kneeling, I rubbed my knees against the rough ground, and it wasn't long before the fabric began to fry, dirt and grass stains surround the destroyed strands.

Now, for the final piece. I grabbed a handful of dirt and spat into before rubbing some on my face, shirt and arms. A quick way to get yourself thrown out of High Town was to look like you didn't belong there. I paused, thinking on it for a brief moment before I grabbed some more dirt and repeated the process with my hair, stopping only once it looked suitably filthy. Nodding to myself, I darted out from behind the building towards the guarded entrance, striding forward until I was standing behind one of the guards, who was dressed in his ridiculous green suit that supposedly protected him from the 'taint' of regular citizens.

The thing about Goa Kingdom was that it was separated into four areas - High Town, Town Center, Edge Town, and then Gray Terminal, the trash heap that sat outside of the Great Gates that led into Edge Town. But in between the Town Center and High Town sections of the kingdom was another gate, separating the two sections - after all, it wouldn't do if the trash that frequented Edge Town or the lower class citizens of Town Center were able to mix with the nobles of High Town.

"Um, mister?" I squeaked out, trying to sound frightened. "Can you help me? I'm lost…"

Dull, unamused eyes stared down at me from behind the black mask that covered his entire head with something resembling a porthole on the front.

"How the hell did this disgusting brat get here?" he questioned the other.

"Dunno. Better toss her out before one of the Nobles sees."

The first guard grunted and hefted me up by the back of the shirt. I put up a slight fuss, kicking out at him half-heartedly as he opened the gate and tossed me out.

"Get lost, brat, and don't come back here again." He placed his hand on a gun at his belt for emphasis.

I made the effort to sniffle, letting a couple of tears fall - _damn, I was good_ \- and nodded before scrambling to my feet and hurrying away. I didn't let the smirk come to my lips until I had turned the corner. However Sabo had gotten out of High Town, I much preferred my way. Now how would I go about finding Sabo?

… Yeah, I really should have thought this out a lot more rather than rushing through with a half-assed plan at the last minute. But it was fine, I could do this. My body may have physically been that of a four year old, but I was operating using the brain - or at least, part of the brain- of an intelligent twenty four year old woman. I could make it through Town Center and Edge Town, and I _would_ find Sabo.

 _Grrr…._

But first, I would get some food. A quick glance around showed no promising prospects and I was worried that I would be unable to find something to fill my stomach. Thankfully, after a rather embarrassing amount of wandering around lost and getting distracted by trinkets being sold street side, I finally came across a food place that seemed to specialize in steak. My mouth watered at the delicious smells that emanated from the building and I hurried in the door, eager to snatch a bite.

Hands grabbed me roughly. "I certainly think not, young lady."

"Hey, leggo! I'm hungry!" I pleaded, struggling to twist free.

"We do not serve Edge Town trash in Town Center," the host sneered.

"I got money!"

"I'm afraid that stolen beri is no good here."

"I didn't _steal -_ I said let go of me!" I screeched, now flailing as the man practically lifted me from the ground.

He ignored me, opening the door and tossing me out much more harshly than the High Town guard had done. He glared down at me as I pushed to my feet. We stared at each other for a moment, and I was ashamed to feel the furious angry tears biting at my eyes.

I hated this place - I hated Goa Kingdom, I hated _nobles_ , I hated it _all_. For the first time, I could feel like I actually understand the reasons why Sabo left. This place, the way it was, it was like a poison and if he or I had stayed any longer, we could have ended up just like these horrible, awful people.

"Have a good day."

I spat at his feet before I took off running. Fine, if I couldn't get food here, I would just have to try my luck in Edge Town. My feet slowed as I approached the obvious divide that signaled the end of Town Center and the beginning of Edge Town. Not only had the atmosphere changed, but the buildings were beginning to look much more decrepit and worse for wear than even the ones in Town Center. And the people that walked around held none of the refined dignity of the High Town nobles, nor none of the shine of Town Center's middle class citizens. No, the residents of Edge Town all look rough around the edges. Eyes shifted back and forth constantly on the lookout for danger or for an easy mark to rob or steal from. Squeezing the bag with my clothes and hidden money close to my chest, I slipped into the crowd, doing my best to stay alert. My eyes, wide with wonderful and a little bit of fear, darted back and forth from one person to the next. Most were adults, but even in this heavy crowd I could see teenagers and even children that looked my age slipping in and out of the crowd. No doubt some thug would later find his pocket lighter than he remembered it being earlier.

Perhaps being small was an advantage - could I ever learn to pick pockets like that? Swiftly, silently, there and gone before the mark had even noticed I had been there? So focused on these thoughts was I, that I left myself open. I felt the bag being torn from my grip and a boy took off. I gave a startled cry and gave chase - my eyes planted firmly on his back so that I wouldn't lose him. Shaggy black hair covered pale skin that vanished under a red tank and he wore black pants and black shoes.

 _Red, black, and black. Red, black and black._ I chanted in my head, memorizing the colors in case I lost him in the crowd. He had a pipe in one hand and a quick glance over his shoulder to see if I was in pursuit revealed dark brown almost black eyes and freckles on his face. His lips curled up into an irritated sneer when he realized I was still behind him and he put on another burst of speed.

"Give that back!" I yelled, racing after him and shoving by people unceremoniously and uncaring of the dirty looks and threats being hurled my way.

The boy didn't answer, merely took a sharp turn into a nearby ally. I followed, turning the corner only to be met with a pipe to the face that me crying out in pain and gripping my now bleeding - but thankfully not broken - nose.

"Gee, Ace, nearly caught by a little brat."

"Shut up and deal with her!"

"You're the one who didn't make a clean getaway!"

"No one is dealing with me," I mumbled, voice sounding stuffy from me pinching my nostrils shut. "Damnit, what is that stupid pipe made of?"

I heard the boy - Ace - scoff. Well, fuck him, the stupid - wait, _Ace!?_ I blinked in shocked and lifted my green-gray eyes to look at the two boys standing in front of me. It had been a few months, and his hair had gotten a little longer, and there was some bandages on his arms and one of his right cheek, but it was _him_.

"Sabo!" I cried in joy, launching at him.

He caught me, obviously confused as I buried my face in his chest. His clothes were the same as the ones from months before, a dark blue shirt with a brighter blue tailcoat, jeans, and that stupid top hat that he had been wearing when I saw him. Hands grabbed my shoulders, pushing me back and black eyes scanned over my face.

"Bryony? What the hell are you doing out here!?"

"I had to leave, it wasn't - I couldn't -" I tried to explain, but he cut me off with a shake of his head.

"I get it," he muttered with a sigh. "It's too late to go back now. Not that I could make you."

"Who the hell is this and why do you know her?" Ace growled, grip on his pipe tightening.

"I'm his little sister, who the fuck are you?" I asked just as bluntly, taking a sort of joy in the way my language seemed to surprise him.

"Sister? I thought -"

"Yeah, she's my sister," Sabo grumbled. "She was supposed to be staying with some trustworthy people."

Sabo was lying? Did his friend not - no, of course Sabo wouldn't go around telling people he was the son of nobles. His whole reasoning for leaving had been to distance himself from our parents and the way they lived because it disgusted him.

"They turned out to not be very trustworthy," I added, throwing Sabo a look. "Were planning to sell me off or something. I didn't stick around to learn the details."

Sabo's eyes lit with fury - he knew exactly what I was getting at. "Can't do anything about it. You'll just have to stay with me now, I guess."

Ace was watching the two of us quietly.

"I would like my clothes and money back," I added, pointing at the bag. "It's literally all I have."

Scoffing he tossed the bag to Sabo, who caught it with ease. "Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow, Sabo."

"Yeah!" Sabo agreed as Ace took off.

"He's… friendly."

"Don't start, Bryony," Sabo groaned. "He takes a bit of getting used to, yeah. He's a little rough around the edges."

"Is that what they call being a jerk these days?"

"Give him a break, he's had an even worse life so far than we have," Sabo scolded. "And that is saying a lot considering."

I considered this for a moment before shrugging. "Fine, fine, I guess the jerk kid gets a pass for being rude. Just this once. Next time, I'm taking that pipe and bashing his skull in with it."

"... I really hope you aren't serious."

"Of course not, he would probably kill me," I scoffed, before glancing at him from the corner of my eye. "So… where do you live? Well, where do _we_ live, is what I really mean."

"I've been staying in the forest next to Gray Terminal," Sabo explained, taking my hand and leading me from Edge Town and into the tall trash hills that made up Gray Terminal.

Gray Terminal was where the residents of High Town, Town Center and Edge Town all dumped their garbage. Lots of homeless people lived there, digging through the trash day in and day out in the hopes that they might find something worthwhile that the nobles had carelessly tossed out. Sometimes some of them did get lucky - or unlucky, if someone else decided that they wanted what you found. It was common for the people of this place to turn on each other. Friends could become enemies in the blink of an eye, stabbing you in the back for a pocketful of beri.

"In the forest?"

"Yeah, there's this ginormous tree and I live under the roots."

"Under the… roots," I repeated slowly.

"Forgive me for the less than comfortable living conditions, Princess," he said sarcastically, shooting me a look. "I've got plastic sheeting strung all through out to keep out the wind and rain, and I found some old pillows and blankets. It's not exactly comfortable, but it's good enough."

I had never been in a forest before. Trees rose from the grand so tall that they blocked out the sky with all their branches and foliage. I recognized a few different types of trees - mostly oaks and some willows. It was so pretty, sunlight dappling the ground between the leaves and birds singing peacefully. But there were also dangers that stalked this forest. I had heard about the animals here, bears and tigers larger than they had any right to physically be, crocodiles that lived in the rivers, snakes that could swallow a child whole. It was terrifying and exhilarating, and I _loved_ it here.

When Sabo had called the tree he was living under massive, I had just thought it was an exaggeration. I was wrong. This tree had to be easily sixty feet tall or more with massive roots that had large gaps in between and underneath where the earth had eroded away some. A space just big enough for two small children to live in. And Sabo _was_ small for a eight year old boy, almost worryingly so. He was maybe six or seven inches taller than me and I was four. Life in the forest where he had been hunting for his food had probably led to all sorts of nutritional problems and stunted his growth. Even Ace was too tiny for his age. Of course, having been hunting for themselves all these years, who knows if they've even touched anything besides meat of any kind in that time. Did they eat fruits? Vegetables? How had they not somehow gotten horribly ill from their meat only diet?

"- and this is home sweet home."

I blinked, coming out of my thoughts. "It's… It's great, Sabo. It's good to be home."

He grinned his gap-toothed grin, and yeah, I thought, this is a place that actually feels like _home_. It wouldn't be easy, living in the forest and learning to hunt, fight, and possibly steal. But I had Sabo, and maybe even Ace would grow on me with time. And I knew as long as the three of us stuck together, we would be fine.

We had to be.

 _A/N: Whew boy I cannot believe I am actually undertaking a project. I want to thank my friends on the This Bites discord for being supportive and helping me out whenever I got stuck and for giving me great feedback. You guys all rock. I just want to go ahead and thank everyone for reading this first chapter of We Were Legends, and I can only hope I can do this story the justice it deserves!  
~Allura_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks for everyone who added this story to their favorites and alerts, you guys are totally awesome! This second chapter is just a small glimpse into forest living for our trio as we prepare for a little rubber cannonball to come in and disrupt life as they know it._

REVIEW REPLIES

see-me-clearly:

Ah, sorry about that. It has to do with the fact that she knows that by leaving High Town and going into a less than savory part of the kingdom, her advanced brain courtesy of her former life knows that if she were to speak in that hoity toity way that most Nobles do, the townspeople would be likely to turn on her, a defenseless child. If she were to speak the way she was raised, there's no way the lowlifes hanging around Edge Town would leave her unharmed. She knows that the easiest way to survive is to put on an act and behave as if she has always been a street kid. But I am glad you enjoyed the story otherwise!

 _LowkeyArtistry:_ Thank you for reading and I am glad you like it!

 _Now onto chapter two of Part I!_

 _ **WE WERE LEGENDS  
PART I  
CHAPTER TWO**_

The time I lived in the forest with Sabo and Ace were some of the best times of my life - at that point, anyway. One of the first things Sabo did was teach me how to hunt for food, and I in turn taught both him and Ace how to identify fruit trees and how to tell what fruit was safe to eat, as well as showing them how to choose fresh produce when looking around Town Center. Days turned into weeks and with time, it went from teaching me to hunt, to teaching me to fight, and to steal. Sometimes Ace would help, but seeing as we got along about as well as fire and oil, more often than not Sabo was my only teacher. But that didn't mean that Ace didn't care. With time, it only became more and more obvious exactly how far he would go to keep not only Sabo, but also me, safe. **  
**

"C'mon girly, just give us the wallets and we'll call it square after we rough you up a bit."

I clutched the wallets tighter in my hand, glaring up at the man who was holding me down to the ground, foot planted in my back. It had been a stupid mistake, one Sabo would no doubt have scolded me for. My first time on my own in Edge Town while he hunted for the day's dinner, and I went and screwed it up.

"Listen, brat, my patience is is shrinking with every second," the man said again, grinning at me with yellow stained teeth. "Give us the wallets."

Self-preservation comes first - that was what Sabo always preached. But dammit all, I did not want to give these jackasses the satisfaction of getting the better of me. But at the same as part of me wanted to fight and try to get away another part of my brain was yelling at me to not be an _idiot, because you are four years old_! Finally I huffed and tossed the wallets to the side, glaring up at the man defiantly.

"Good kid," he sneered before lifting his foot and slamming it down onto my back.

A choked cry tore past my lips even as I tried my hardest to fight it down. Because no way would I give these jerks the satisfaction of making me cry. But despite the fact that my will was telling me not to give in, my extremely small pain tolerance was already losing the battle as tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

"Aw, is the little brat gonna cry?" another man teased, drawing laughs from his comrades.

Another kick, this one catching me right next to my left eye, sent me flying a little further down the alley. "Get the hell out here, kid. And don't let me see you around again. I won't be so nice a second time."

I scrambled to my feet and bolted as he went towards the wallets. He scooped them up into his hand as I turned the corner, and I barely heard the cry of outrage over the noise of the crowd as I ran as quickly as my little legs could carry me. I smirked, feeling the wad of beri I had hastily shoved in my jean pockets against my legs. That would serve those assholes right for jumping a little girl.

It was a small victory that filled me with a petty sense of satisfaction. But a win was still a win, at least in my book. Sabo and Ace would no doubt disagree - and had they been here, Sabo would have launched straight into a lecture of everything I had done wrong and then given endless suggestions on what to improve while Ace would taunt me teasingly in the background. Our tempers still clashed every now and then, but there was very little the two of us wouldn't do for each other. It was almost like having another brother - except Ace was way more wild and unruly, less composed and patient. The exact opposite of Sabo who seemed to have patience by the bucketload with an extra few buckets to spare for whenever Ace and I were being _extra_ irritating.

Thoughts of my brother and friend brought about a new problem - the bruises that were already forming on my face and no doubt the large ones on my back that would be there by morning would be impossible to hide. Which meant endless questioning about _how_ she had gotten hurt, _why_ she had gotten hurt and _who_ had hurt her. She almost pitied the men because by the time Sabo and Ace were done with them, they would never underestimate children again.

Thankfully, they weren't at the meeting place by the Treasure Tree yet which meant they were still out hunting for lunch and dinner. Stepping up onto the roots, I began the slow climb up the thick trunk to the first branch, which the boys had hollowed out years ago to stash their treasure in. Feeling for the small indent to lift the wooden lid always irritated me - it was exceptionally well-hidden. Once the money was safely stashed away, I lowered the lid back into place and leaned back until I was lying down and staring up at the sky.

It was a couple hours before Sabo and Ace returned - time I had spent wisely reciting _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ in my head. That was one good thing about being such a book nerd in my precious life, I had read the story so many times that I recalled pretty much every detail. _Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Disney movies_ \- if it was something I had immensely enjoyed, I had probably watched or read hundreds of times over.

"Bryony, you up there?"

"Get your ass down here so we can eat!"

 _Ace, ever as charming as can be,_ I thought dully as I rolled onto my stomach to peak over the edge of the limb. I gave both boys the most unimpressed stare I could muster and opened my mouth to snap back.

"What the hell happened to your face?!"

And immediately closed it again, looking away from Ace's angry gaze.

"Um… tripped?"

"And landed on someone's fist?" Ace scoffed. "Start naming names, Bryony."

"I don't know any of their names, besides it's not a big deal."

Sabo's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

Embarrassment come upon me quickly and without mercy. "I screwed up. It's my own fault. I got pissed with Ace's teasing and got cocky. I got caught with my fingers in this guy's pocket… and he had friends with him."

"Bryony, I've _told_ you -"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't gonna make that black eye go away anytime soon," Sabo scolded, though his tone was more sympathetic now. "Where else did they get you?"

"A few kicks to my back and side, bruised, nothing broken."

Sabo studied me for a minute. "You're sure nothing is broken?"

"Yes, it was one of the first lessons the forest taught me - how to tell the difference between something being broken and something being battered and bruised."

The two older boys exchanged a look before sighing.

"Hurry up, we caught deer for lunch!" Sabo called up to me.

Ace simply scowled and crossed his arms.

I scrambled down the tree, feet landing on the ground while Sabo set up his little fire pit area to cook our dinner. I eyes the set up with some disdain before glancing at Sabo.

"Did you get what I asked for?"

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out some seed packets, tossing them at me. "Book's in the bag."

"Dunno why we need that crap."

I sent Ace a scathing look before shifting through all the different packets. "It's called a balanced diet and it's important for good health. Crack open a book sometime."

The boy stiffened. "Shut up."

"Don't get so defensive, it's not like you can't read," I scoffed.

A tense and awkward silence followed where Ace's glare shifted from me to the ground.

"Wait… you can't _read_?"

"So what if I can't? Don't need that to survive."

"Moron!" I snapped right back. "You're gonna be a pirate! You'll need to be able to read the names of islands on the maps - shit, you'll need to know how to read a map _period_."

"I can read a map!"

"... so if I handed you a map of the island right now and told you to head to Foosha Village, you'd know which way to go?"

"... yes."

I exchanged a look with Sabo, both of us amused by Ace's insistence even with the blush that was spreading across the pointing boy's cheeks.

"Well, I can teach you," Sabo finally offered.

"... Shut up and cook already."

That was Ace speak for _thank you_.

 **~WWL~**

Sometimes Ace would disappear. Usually it was only for a couple hours - others a couple of days. He would slip away from me and Sabo whenever we were in town and when he reappeared he would always look really sad and angry. I learned pretty quickly that whenever Ace was in one of these moods to keep my teasing to a minimal - I didn't want anymore bruises. I also didn't want to be a reason for Ace and Sabo to fight ever again like they had last time. It was the first time I had ever seen Sabo so unbelievably angry at anyone that wasn't Mother or Father that I assumed he just didn't have that kind of temper in him.

I had been wrong. The fight the two had left them not speaking to each other for almost a month. It was horrible to watch. Ace would always tense up and hurry away whenever he saw either of us and Sabo would pretend that he wasn't as sad as he really was. I hated it and knew I had to bring the two morons back together somehow. Thankfully, Ace's birthday has been approaching - he would be turning nine. It had been easy enough to convince Sabo to make amends.

And so we went out together and hunted danpa to make for Ace's surprise birthday feast. He had been surprised to see us, and though he would never admit it, I think he had missed us as much as we missed him.

The next time Ace vanished, a few days before Sabo's birthday on March 20th, we had split up and scoured Edge Town And Town Center. I had never regretted a decision is much in my life.

"... Hey… what would you think if Gold Roger had a son?"

The drunk patrons of the bar he had entered had laughed and started spewing insults. Comments about Roger being a monster and his son being a pathetic demonic brat who didn't deserve to live echoed in my ears even as I raced away, tears biting at my eyes. They were so _wrong_. Whatever crimes Roger may or may not have committed, condemning Ace for the man's actions was so horribly juvenile and heartbreaking.

I couldn't stand the thought that Ace might be thinking those sort of things about himself. Sure he could be an ass, and he was moody as hell, and we fought a lot but… he was still _Ace_ who helped teach me even if he had no real reason to. He befriended Sabo and helped him, too. No monster would do that. And what did those stupid drunks know anyway? None of them had known Gold Roger - who were they to talk about what his character was? They simply bought into all the government spewed propaganda like everybody else. If the government hated you, the world would too and that was how life was in this world.

I crashed into the back of someone's legs as I turned the corner. I wanted as far away from that bar and it's idiotic patrons as humanly possible.

"Oh, well look what we have here."

 _Fantastic._ I thought dryly as my eyes lifted to meet those of that man from a few months before as his hand latched onto the back of my shirt, lifting me from the ground like one would do to a naughty puppy.

"Thought I told you not to come back around here ever again," he sneered, his hot, rancid breath washing over my face.

"Did you say that? Eheheheh…" I laughed nervously, eyes darting around to scope out my possible escape route.

First, I had to get down. Then I could either double back to the bar or try to get down one of the two side streets behind him. That second option seemed a lot less likely to go well, so doubling back would be my best bet.

"Are you listening to me, brat?!" he suddenly demanded, drawing me out of my thoughts with a rough shake.

"Yes, sir…"

"Then you understand what I meant? Why aren't you begging for yer life?"

 _Did he..? Oh. He probably threatened to kill me._ I realized after a brief pause.

"Why would I beg when you're gonna kill me anyway?"

"Cheeky little shit."

 **Slam.**

And just when the bruises had finally gone away from the last time… my poor back. I would need a chiropractor by the time I was twenty.

"Hey. The fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Ace…?" I mumbled under my breath.

He was standing a few feet away from us, pipe clenched in his first and face full of thunderous rage. He was glaring at the man, who looked back at him looking almost amused - as if he couldn't believe another brat was daring to stand up to him.

"Mind yer own business kid."

Ace darted forward, quick as a rabbit, and sent the man sprawling with a pipe to the knee. "You hurting my friend _is_ my business. You'd do well to remember she's got friends looking out for her."

"Fucking brat, I'll kill you -" Another whack from the pipe, to the head this time, had the man cutting his sentence off with a groan of pain.

"I won't warn you again," Ace growled. "Spread the word - the little girl runs with Ace and Sabo. And they'll fuck up anyone who even dares to look at her."

The man's eyes widened when Ace mentioned his and Sabo's names. I had been around them for so long that I forgot how much of a menace the people in the towns thought them to be. How some of them even _feared_ the two boys. It was surreal to me, how could grown men be afraid of children? Sure, Ace and Sabo were stronger than any normal kid - and even stronger than certain adults - but for them to be this afraid? It was mind boggling.

"Get up, Bryony, we're going home."

I blinked at the hand that was in front of my face. "What?"

"Take my hand, stupid."

I glared at him as I took his hand. "I'm not stupid!"

Ace scoffed. "Whatever. C'mon, let's go and find Sabo before you manage to get yourself in even more trouble."

"Ace? Thank you."

"Shut up."

That was Ace speak for _you're welcome_.

 **~WWL~**

Even more weeks passed, my April 9th birthday came and went with a little fanfare, including a birthday feast and two gifts - one from Sabo and the other from Ace. Sabo had gotten me a new pair of shoes, seeing as the little heeled things I had escaped in were starting to be just a little _too_ tight as I grew. Ace had gotten me a shirt I had been eyeballing the last time we were in Town Center - a navy blue colored t-shirt with a sea turtle design on the right side coming about halfway across the stomach.

I had told them they didn't have to get anything, since I knew how they were about spending any money from their savings. They had simply both scoffed, saying hat using a little bit for things like birthdays and Christmas wouldn't really hurt their savings much, not with how much they usually made away with. I had simply rolled my eyes and let the argument drop, it wasn't worth the headache I would get from trying to disagree with them.

Being five years old really didn't feel any different from being four. Few things about me changed - save for maybe getting a couple inches taller. Having been raised in High Town, my speech and reading abilities had already been extremely good, so there was nothing to improve on there, and my fighting was coming along well for how little I was - or so Ace would say with that annoying, teasing grin on his face.

The routine of the forest was steady and calming, every day was almost the same as the last. We would hunt, steal, sometimes play around if Ace wasn't in a pissy mood. The garden Ace had started at the Bandit's place where he lived was doing fine, especially when to his surprise, one of the bandits he simply referred to as Magra had started taking care of it. Who knew a bandit could have such a green thumb?

Days turned to weeks, and then into months, and before any of us knew it Christmas, Ace's birthday, Sabo's birthday and mine had all come and gone once again. It was amazing how quickly time flew by once you hit a routine that you could live by. But at the same time, I found myself growing bored. Sure, stealing still gave me quite a thrill, and fighting practice was going well. Even if I could take down Sabo or Ace, I was now able to take down some of the weaker things in town whenever they have me trouble - which some still did, even with Ace's warning from so long ago.

Today, I was slinking through the forest on one muggy day in mid June. Though summer was not officially here for a couple days yet, temperatures had been steadily climbing he last few days. The increase in heat made hunting much more of a chore than usual, especially when all I wanted was to dunk myself in one of the many rivers that ran through the forest so I could cool down. Rather than chase down one of the many land animals, I had taken to the trees. On days like this, it would be easier to try and snatch one of the birds and their eggs than spends hours tracking down any land prey.

That, however, left a completely different problem.

 _Don't look down, don't look down, don't loo - holy shit, I'm really high up. Shitshit_ _ **shit!**_

My fear of heights just had to be the only thing I brought with me from my precious life. It was easily one of my least favorite things about me. In my head, I knew it was silly to be afraid - I'd been navigating the trees in the forest for nearly two years now, I knew I wouldn't lose my footing. But somehow my brain continued to forget that tiny detail.

"Stupid birds, why do they have to live so far off the ground?" I grumbled crossly as I hefted myself onto the next branch, the best still four more above me.

Even if the bird wasn't home, its massive eggs would provide a good meal once Sabo scrambled them up in one of the old pans we had found in Gray Terminal. It was amazing all the useful things you could find there if you actually looked.

As it turned out, the bird _wasn't_ home, but there were five eggs in the next, each about half the size I was. I quickly loaded them into the large satchel like bag I was carrying and hurried back down so my feet would be firmly planted on the ground. I was almost there when I heard a shout that caused me to freeze where I was. Ace and Sabo has gone off to hunt some of the bigger game in the forest, but now they were both rushing in my direction, an obnoxiously large deer being dragged behind them and an even more obnoxiously large tiger behind them, chasing them down.

"What did you do?" I yelled, dropping the last few feet from the ground before spinning on my heels to run.

"Not our fault!" They both shouted, picking up speed so that they were at my side.

"Right, like I'm gonna believe Mr. Personality over here didn't piss off the giant tiger!" I scoffed, jerking my head in Ace's direction.

"Don't blame me!"

"But it was your fault!" Sabo snapped, teeth sharpening into shark points from his anger.

… yeah, sometimes I still don't understand how things work in this world.

Eventually, we all had to split up to lose the tiger, and I found myself to be the last to arrive back at the hiding spot. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath, and Ace and Sabo didn't even _look_ winded. It was so unfair.

"Five eggs," Sabo notes as he looked in the satchel. "Not a bad haul. This and the deer should be enough for tonight's dinner."

"I don't wanna go home," Ace grumbled while we were eating. "There's this stupid new brat Gramps dropped off. Kid won't leave me alone. I even knocked him into the ravine and he not only managed to survive, but still tries to follow me around. Says he wants to be friends."

"Aw, it's kinda cute," I teased as I scooped a forkful of eggs into my mouth. "He looks up to you."

"Nah, Luffy's just an idiot."

I nearly choked. _Luffy?_ A memory rose in my mind from a life long passed. It was the night of the car accident I had died in, Crystal sat next to me in the passenger's seat and Jade was in the back as we drove home from the mall. The two had been talking animatedly, bags from the bookstore piled on the floorboard near Jade's feet.

" _\- can't believe the idiot thinks that -"_

" _Well, we all know Luffy isn't the brightest main character. All he's really got going for him is his charming disposition."_

" _\- but the shark teeth -"_

" _At least it was funny."_

 _I had to interrupt. I had to. "I'm sorry, but what's this about shark teeth?"_

" _Okay, so Luffy's is the main character of this manga, right? Well right now he's fighting this dude who's part fish - shark, to be extremely clear - and Luffy yanked out a pair of shark dude's teeth and put them in his own_ _ **mouth**_ _, thinking that if he bit shark dude with his own teeth it would hurt him."_

" _And he's fighting shark dude, why?"_

Maybe it was just a coincidence? Because there was no way I had been reborn into a manga world. I didn't even _like_ manga or anime! If anyone should have been reborn here, it should have been one of the twins! We had all died that night, so why was I the one who ended up here?

"What makes you say he's an idiot?" I finally managed to ask.

"He just is," Ace grumbled. "And annoyingly persistent, too. It's been three weeks and he's still following me around."

"You should just came stay with us in the forest," Sabo suggested.

"No way, Gramps would freak out,"Ace argued. "Even getting away from Luffy isn't worth Gramp's anger."

"What's so bad about Luffy? He could probably be a big help to us."

Ace scoffed. "No way. He wouldn't last a day out here. Not only is he too young, he's not smart."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Says the kid who couldn't read a year ago."

"Shut up, Bryony." Ace snapped. "Luffy is not joining us and that is final!"

I snorted crossly. "As if you can really stop him from following you. You said it yourself - the kid doesn't give up. He'll make it out here one day, just you wait and see."

"I'll deal with that if it ever happens," Ace vowed. "Which it won't, because Luffy's too stupid to manage to follow me all the way out here."

Sabo rolled his eyes as he and I exchanged an amused glance. Ace claimed to hate the boy, but there was a sort of exasperated fondness in his voice whenever he spoke of Luffy. He was already attached to the persistent boy, even if he wouldn't admit it quite yet. I rested my head in my palm as Sabo and Ace began to discuss what their game plan for going into town the next day would be. Perhaps, if he could manage to follow Ace all the way out here, Luffy would be just the thing we needed to liven up forest living once again.

After all, life was a little boring with a few ripples to throw things in chaos every now and then.

 _A/N: You could say that Ace and Bryony have a somewhat... explosive relationship built upon mutual teasing. It will definitely mellow out more with time, and especially so when the little rubber sunshine child arrives. So I did have a PM last chapter wondering about the ages that the story will have as the set up. Bryony is four years younger than Sabo and Ace. So currently it stand that Ace and Sabo are 10, Luffy is 7, and Bryony is 6. So when they go to see, Luffy and crew will all be their regular ages, and Bryony will be one of the youngest at 16._

 _I hope you all enjoyed this - admittedly fillerish - chapter! And I will see you next time!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**WE WERE LEGENDS**_

 _ **PART I**_

 _ **CHAPTER THREE**_

 **How do I even begin to describe how much Luffy impacted our lives? He changed so much of what we were, who we** _ **thought**_ **we were. When Luffy joined us in the forest, he wasn't exactly welcomed. Ace thought of him as an annoying brat, and Sabo tended to go along with whatever Ace did. But with time, Luffy wormed his way into all of our hearts. I think that meeting him that day is what set our lives on the course to be more than just another person in the world. Luffy's influence paired with the stubbornness all four of us shared would lead to us being great. The world would know our names - whether in good ways or bad was yet to be seen to us. All we knew was that we didn't want boring, quiet lives. We wanted freedom, action, adventure. If only we had known then how much we were asking for…**

Brothers were the absolute worst. After the little incident that day in the town where I had run into the guy who had beaten me up that first day of solo pickpocketing months before, Sabo seemed more overprotective than ever before. I tried to tell him I was fine - the guy hadn't even had a chance to hurt me again because Ace had been there. and the guy had been the perfect victim for Ace to vent all his frustration upon.

But that didn't matter to Sabo. It was like he had tunnel vision where I was concerned and the only things that clicked in his mind were 'baby sister' and 'danger'. Not that Ace was any better, mind you. Sometimes I would spot one or both of them tailing me through town when I was out hitting marks. At first, it didn't bother me. It was kind of cute how much they worried. But after the fourth or fifth time it was starting to seriously grate on my nerves every time I caught sight of them - which wasn't often, but even if I didn't spot Sabo's hat or the corner of Ace's pipe in the background, just the knowledge that they were there was enough to set me on edge. And being on edge while trying to disappear and blend with a crowd could lead to dangerous consequences if you screwed it up.

But if they wanted to waste their time, that was their problem… and speaking of problems, Ace still had a major one with Luffy, who was tailing him farther and farther every day.

"I told you," I sing-songed teasingly while Ace and Sabo paced back and forth. "Didn't I tell him, Sabo?"

"He's getting closer every time," Ace hissed. "With luck, I'll be able to lose him in Gray Terminal next time."

I rolled my eyes. Ace could be so over dramatic sometimes - three months had passed since he first met Luffy, and the boy was still as stubborn as ever. He would diligently chase after Ace every day, and today he had gotten really close to managing to follow the angry freckled boy.

"He's gonna find us," I informed them. "I don't think anything you do is going to stop him at this point. We should just let him join us."

"No way!" Ace and Sabo snapped.

"But _why not?_ "

"He's an idiot!"

"We don't know him!"

"We know enough," I countered. "He's obviously strong willed, if he still wants to be friends with grumpy gills over here. He's strong - otherwise he wouldn't have made it this far into the forest. He's stubborn - which is a necessity in this group, where we butt heads more often than is normal. And most importantly? He seems _nice_."

Ace snorted, but Sabo looked thoughtful.

"Maybe…"

"No," Ace said firmly. "No way am I letting that dumbass join us."

"But why not?" I asked in exasperation. "What could it really hurt? You guys taught me everything I know - how to steal, how to fight. You could teach him, too."

"No," Ace said shortly, glaring at me.

I rolled my eyes and shot Sabo a look before shrugging and jerking my head towards Ace. If I couldn't convince the idiot, then maybe Sabo could.

"Ace, maybe -"

"You _always_ take _her_ side."

"Seriously? And _I'm_ the _baby_ of the group?"

Sabo flinched. "I do not, that's ridiculous."

Ace glared at us before turning on his heels and storming away. "Whatever. I have a target I wanna hit today. You two better get to work."

Sabo watched Ace go before turning to me, exasperation in his gaze. "See what you did? Now he's mad again."

" _Me?_ His attitude problem is _not_ my fault," I growled irritably before jumping down from the tree branch I had been perched on. "He's being an idiot about the whole Luffy thing. And you're not helping matters by letting him get away with being a jerk."

"I know he's difficult sometimes -"

" _Sometimes_?!"

"Okay, _all_ the time," Sabo admitted. "But trust doesn't come easy to Ace and you _know_ that, so I don't understand why you push so hard."

"Because I want him to see what we see!" I snapped before scooping my pipe from the ground. "Ace is strong, and smarter than he lets on, and he's _kind_ even if he doesn't want to admit it or act like it. One day he'll have to realize that."

"Bryony - "

"I'm going hunting."

"Not like that, you're not," Sabo snapped, grabbing the back of my shirt. "Sit down. If you go out like that, we'll end up finding you all tangled up in a bush again."

I huffed but sat down, watching Sabo as he dug through my small satchel and pulled out a hairbrush that had seen better days. Raking it through my hair while muttering irritably under his breath, his brow was furrowed in concentration as he divided the hair into three parts and began to braid it with ease. In his muttering I caught a few words: _stupid, Ace, stubborn, pain in the ass, sisters_ and before I could even be offended by that last one he twisted the braid into a bun and secured it to my head.

"There," he said with a nod. " _Now_ you can go hunting."

I snorted and raced off - between Sabo's placid behavior and Ace's bad attitude, my own attitude for the day had already taken a sour turn. The logical part of my brain could understand - Sabo was right when he said trust didn't come easy to Ace. Hell, sometimes it felt like Ace still didn't trust _me_ and I'd been around for almost two years now. Perhaps it was outlandish of me to think we could just bring Luffy into our fold and think nothing would really change. But at the same time, would it kill Ace to give just a little? Just _one inch_? Half the time it felt like he picked fights as a way to get the rest of us to keep our distance.

 _Because that's exactly what he's doing, damnit, and we always fall for it._

"Stupid Ace and his stupid lack of trust," I grumbled.

Only it wasn't Ace I was angry at anymore. It was more that I was angry at the world who made him that way - the people who said he didn't deserve to live, the Bandit's who looked after him, anyone that judged him for being the son of Gold Roger. Who gave a shit who anyone's parents were anyway? I was born a _Noble,_ for shit's sake, and now I was living in a garbage heap and running around a forest stealing from other lowlifes and hunting my own food.

And I wouldn't want to be anywhere or anyone else. Being born Noble gave me Sabo, living here gave me Ace. We had needed each other. And maybe, just maybe, Luffy needed us, too.

Thankfully, hunting was a good way to vent my frustration. Though it did make me feel bad for the poor animals that would be our dinner tonight. They just happened to get in my way on a bad day and found themselves on the wrong end of my pipe. By the time I was done, I had four rabbits and two deer. Usually that wouldn't be enough for us - not with the way Ace eats - but all the prey had already fled from the noise.

"I wonder if Ace managed to hit his target," I mused as I dragged the two deer behind me using a length of rope I always carried in my satchel.

The trek back to the treasure tree was boring, but there was absolute chaos going on there when I returned. I stared blankly for a minute, taking in the scene and trying to make sense of it. There, tied to the enormous trunk of the tree, was a little boy who looked maybe a bit older than me and was furiously kicking his legs and struggling to get free. He had an… _excessive_ amount of tears pouring down his face while Ace and Sabo argued.

"Just kill him already. Hurry it up!"

"He's your problem! Why don't you do it?!"

"Because I've never killed anyone before!"

"Neither have I!"

I dropped the rope tied to the two deer to the ground and swung my pipe, smacking both upside the head. "No one is killing anybody, you morons!"

Ace groaned, holding his now throbbing skull in his hands. "What the hell, Bryony? What was that for?"

I sniffed at him, eyes narrowing into a glare. "You idiots. What the hell did you get yourself into?"

"He followed me!"

"Yes, we've established that you have a tiny stalker," I snapped before reaching into Sabo's coat pocket and pulling out a small pocket knife, ignoring his shouted protests. "Now cut him loose."

"Please don't throw me in the water!" Luffy sobbed.

The three of us stared at him and I felt my palm twitch with the urge to slap it against my forehead. _Are you kidding me..?_

"... let's do that," Ace decided, and the boy began to panic once again.

"Why would he tell us…?" Sabo questioned, staring intently at the straw hatted boy.

"A mixture of stupidity and desperation," I answered monotonously before snapping at Ace. "Dumbass, I just said we're not killing anybody!"

The freckled boy glared at me. "He knows about the treasure, we can't just let him go."

"So he joins us," I decided. "There. Done. Now cut him loose."

"He is _not -_ "

"He is."

"Bryony, I already told you-"

"Yeah, I heard you. I just don't care."

"I'm going to kill you…"

"Try it, Freckles."

" _Don't call me Freckles!_ "

"Guys!" Sabo interrupted, shouting to be heard not only over their arguing but also over Luffy's renewed crying. "Can we find some sort of agreement here? We still got stuff to do today!"

Luffy was still a blubbering and incoherent mess, Ace was starting to get ready to argue with me again and Sabo really looked like he wanted to punt all three of us off the side of a cliff. Suddenly his head snapped up, and he placed his hand over Luffy's mouth to stifle his crying.

"Quiet!" he hissed to Ace and I, promoting us to stop our bickering to figure out what had put that panicked look in Sabo's eye.

"I don't hear -" I began but Ace shushed me, a serious look on his face.

Someone was coming towards us through the underbrush. I hadn't noticed it before when Ace and I were arguing - _stay alert or die, stupid!_ \- but it was obvious now that we had all gone quiet Luffy's sniffles even subsiding as he tried to figure out what had made Sabo snap out the order of silence.

Quickly, I flipped open the knife and sliced the ropes keeping Luffy tied to a tree, before grabbing his arm and dragging him behind some nearby bushes. Ace and Sabo followed quickly, though neither seems particularly happy that Luffy was hiding with us. Well, they would just have to get over it. Whoever was coming probably wasn't friendly, and I wasn't going to leave the terrified boy at the mercy of whoever it was.

"Stay quiet, stay hidden," I hissed at Luffy. "Focus on that for now, and we'll worry about Ace and Sabo wanting to kill you later."

He sniffled again but nodded, free hand hastily rubbing across his eyes to rid himself of the tears he had been shedding only moments before.

"Those are the guys I stole from earlier…" Ace mumbled softly from Sabo's other side.

Of course it was. Of course _Ace_ would find the _one group_ of people that had a very large objection to being stolen from. They must have been somewhat new the Gray Terminal, then, because everyone else knew better than to come after Ace and Sabo.

"Oh, he looks friendly doesn't he?" I hissed as a tall man with pale lavender hair and a scowl on his face emerged from the trees on the other side of the little clearing. "Fantastic job, Ace."

A soft _shit_ left the oldest boy's mouth, and to my surprise he actually looked a little worried. I could understand why. We often terrorized the other thugs of Goa Kingdom and Grey Terminal but none of them had _ever_ followed after us wanting revenge of any kind. Most of them didn't think it worth the trouble. Ace, Sabo and I were often described by people as being as vicious as a trio of Sea Kings when it came to stealing. Usually that, along with whatever happened during said stealing of their stuff, deterred them from trying anything.

Whoever this guy was, he was either new, overconfident, or stupid. I was betting on a mix of all three.

The lavender haired man was walking with three goons, one's arm was in a cast and sling and the, the other had his wrist wrapped, but the third looked unharmed. Guess Ace had been feeling merciful. Or the guy hadn't been present whenever his buddies got jumped by a ten year old.

"Sounds like Ace, Sabo and Bryony," the scary one was telling them. "Those three are pretty infamous in these parts. And the one who took your money - that was Ace right? A boy with black hair?"

The blonde goon groaned an affirmative, rambling about how pathetic it was that he and the other one had gotten sloppy.

"He's either cocky or dumb. You can't rob pirates blind and expect to get away with it."

" _Shit,"_ I hissed, fighting the urge to rub my temples at the sudden headache I could feel coming. "Pirates, Ace? Really?"

"I didn't know," he argued back hotly. "I thought they were just some new thugs hanging around."

"Bottom line is, if we don't get that money back, Captain Bluejam's gonna skin is alive. And I mean literally."

" _OhGoditgotworse,_ " I mumbled.

"How was I supposed to know they were working with him?" Ace grumbled.

"I'm going to kill you, Freckles…"

"Ssh!" Sabo hissed.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I turned my head to check that Luffy was staying quiet and - _where the hell did Luffy go?!_

"Shit," I grumbled, shifting and slowly making my way away from Ace and Sabo, who were still so focused on the man - who Sabo said was Porchemy- they didn't notice Luffy's exit, or mine.

"Luffy?" I whisper yelled. "Luffy, where did you go?"

I glanced side to side only to freeze as I caught sight of Luffy in Porchemy's massive grip. _How?! Two seconds! I looked away for two seconds!_

"YOU BETTER PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW YOU BIG JERK!" Luffy demanded, waving his arms and legs angrily as Porchemy stared him down. "Wanna play tough, huh?! Well, don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Who the hell is this?" Porchemy asked, sounding baffled.

I froze. _He knows what Ace looks like._ If he could talk about Ace as the one with 'black hair' but didn't even ponder that it could be Luffy, then he had to know what Ace looked like. That wasn't good for us, but perhaps that could be good for Luffy.

"ACE, HELP!"

… Or he could do something stupid like _that_. I groaned and slapped my palm to my face, my mind trying to process exactly how this day took such a disastrous turn. I turned slightly to glance back near where I had left Ace and Sabo, the former looking peeved. I'm sure he was plotting how he was gonna kill Luffy if Porchemy didn't beat him to it.

Okay. What were our options? Luffy was in Porchemy's hand, and the man wasn't likely to just let him go now that he knows Luffy has a connection to Ace. He would likely want to question Luffy, find out where the treasure is, which was a problem because Luffy likely knew where it was - which would explain why even Sabo had been talking about killing him earlier. Our best shot was rushing him at once, all three of us. If we could get Luffy down, then it would technically be four against four - three and a half against four, really, since I was pretty sure Luffy had no fighting experience…

"If you cry, do you think he'll come for ya?"

Chills crept down my spine at the question. He was going to _hurt_ Luffy. There was no doubt about it. Bluejam and his men were the type of pirates who had no problem hurting people - not even women and children. They weren't Peace Mains, they were Morganeers through and through and Luffy's age would mean nothing to them as long as they got what they wanted from him.

"Yeah, cause we're friends," Luffy answered firmly.

 _He trusts Ace so much._

But Ace didn't move an inch from his spot next to Sabo.

"... Except he just tried to kill me, so maybe not…"

I actually had to hold back the snicker that wanted to leave my body. I think in this short amount of time I had learned a couple things about Luffy… one being that he is stubbornly persistent, especially if he still called Ace his friend after this. Two, the kid had a big heart. Having him around would actually probably be good for the three of us.

"If he's your friend maybe you can help us," Porchemy began calmly. "See, Ace stole our money, and if we got it back, we wouldn't have to hurt anybody…"

Okay. I was about to do something stupid. Reaching down, I picked up a medium sized stone in my hand and jiggled it back-and-forth. Drawing back my arm, I let the stone fly hitting Porchemy right in the back of the skull.

"Put him down," I snarled as the man's eyes snapped to me.

"... Bryony," Porchemy muttered, his grip tightening on Luffy's shirt.

Luffy's wide gaze met my own narrowed eyes as I tried to stare Porchemy down without shaking like a leaf.

"Put Luffy down," I repeated, wincing at how my voice broke halfway through the last word.

The goons laughed, but Porchemy just continued to stare.

"You run with Ace," he said amiably. "So you must know where he stashed our money."

I snorted, a lie rumbling from my lips. "Ace doesn't tell me where he keeps his shit. He hordes it away like a squirrel. We may be friends but thieves are still thieves. He doesn't trust us to not rob him blind."

Porchemy made a thoughtful humming noise. "That so? Well, that's unfortunate. What about you, kid? Luffy? You wouldn't happen to know where Ace keeps his stash would you?"

"N-no…" Luffy mumbled, looking away.

"Sure about that?"

"Y-Yeah…."

 _Luffy, oh my god. I'm going to have to teach you how to lie._ I thought, fighting the urge to groan as sweat broke out across Luffy's forehead. There was no way Porchemy was buying the shit Luffy was selling.

My eyes stayed locked on Porchemy as his gaze turned back to me.

"You know," he decided. "Both of you do. Well, there's ways to loosen lips."

I stiffened, my body screaming at me to run. Years of drilled in self preservation learned from living in Grey Terminal was clashing with the overwhelming need to not let Porchemy take Luffy under any circumstances.

"Let's go," Porchemy ordered his followers. "I think this boy will be more than willing to tell us what we need to know soon."

I froze. "Hey! Put him down!"

"Are you going to make me?" The amused sneer made me flush red with fury. "You Grey Terminal and Edge Town rats are all the same - you talk big game, but when it comes down to it you look out for no one but yourselves. Friends, family… you little rodents would turn on each other in an instant."

 _No._ Her heart yearned to answer. But there was no point, people like Porchemy were so set in their ways and beliefs that the idea that people are not what they peg them to be is unfathomable to them. She would sooner carve out her own heart than betray Sabo or Ace, and she knew the boys felt the same about her. Porchemy wouldn't understand bonds like those - and pirates like him wouldn't think twice before turning on a crewmate. They didn't understand the meaning of _nakama._

A rock bounced off my leg, and I cast an annoyed glance towards Ace and Sabo. Unfortunately, I didn't count on Porchemy spotting the look.

"They're here aren't they? Ace and Sabo." Porchemy's grin grew vicious but I stayed silent, glaring at him furiously. "Well, if they were here, I'd tell them they have until sundown to bring me the treasure. If not well… kids disappear in Gray Terminal all the time…picked off one by one. Not like anyone would miss you guys. But I think I'll hold onto this one until they come - just for some insurance. After all… he's your pal, isn't he?"

"Let go!" Luffy flailed. "Ace! Help me!"

Porchemy laughed. "Remember - you only have until sundown."

Her turned and walked off, Luffy still in his grip and his three lackeys following close behind. I let out a frustrated growl.

"Okay, this is bad. What are we gonna - hey, where are you two going?"

Ace and Sabo has sprinted past me and scaled the Treasure Tree in just a few bounds. They opened the stash and quickly began loading it into the sacks.

"Sabo!"

He twitched slightly, shoulders stiffening. "We have to move it before Luffy tells them where it is."

"Are you serious? They're going to hurt him!"

"He'll talk before he gets hurt too bad," Ace countered. "Then they'll let him go."

"Ace, pirates like Porchemy don't _let people go_. They _kill_ them."

"We have to move this," Ace continued.

I choked down a frustrated scream. "You two are unbelievable!"

"If you would help us move, we'd get done faster! They gave us until sundown. That's plenty of time to hide the treasure again… and then we'll figure out what to do about Luffy."

 _This is seriously fucked up._ I knew Ace found Luffy annoying, but to leave him to Porchemy? But I knew Ace… even if he found Luffy annoying, he probably actually believed Luffy would talk and be let go. We were young enough that the naïveté hadn't completely left us, and it wasn't surprising that Ace was latching onto even the most unlikely scenario that would happen. But throwing a fit over Ace and Sabo's horrible priorities would do nothing but waste time.

It took us a couple hours to move all the treasure - they had so much of it? It never felt like they had this much whenever she was looking at it in the hidden compartment. Sabo took off as Ace and I were taking the last batch of treasure to its new hiding place. He wasn't gone for long, he had returned by the time Ace and I were stashing the last of it, looking panicked and winded.

"What's wrong?" Ace asked.

Sabo met Ace's gaze beforehand eyes were jerking to mine.

"He didn't talk, did he?" I whispered, voice breaking.

"No," Sabo confirmed. "None of Bluejam's guys have come into the forest at all. Luffy hasn't spilled the beans, Ace. What do we do?"

Ace looked shocked to the core. He probably couldn't even begin to comprehend why Luffy wouldn't have talked.

"... we're going."

I had never been more proud to know Ace. And that pride would only continue to grow over the years.

"We need a plan," I added. "We can't just ignore that these guys are pirates. They'll have the strength to back up their fists and weapons. They won't be easy pickings like the Gray Terminal and Edge Town folks."

"I've got a plan," Ace said. "Just follow my lead."

 _If those are the last words I hear from him before I die, I will literally find a way to bring us all back and kill him again._

 **~WWL~**

The little ramshackle shack that Porchemy was using to interrogate Luffy was literally falling apart. So when Ace told us we'd take them by surprise by bursting through one of the barely standing walls, I figured it wasn't the _worst_ plan he could've thought up. The worrying part was that there was no noise besides a wet sounding _schlap!_ that filled the silence. Glancing at Ace and Sabo, I peeked through a small hole in the wood and pulled back so quickly and violently that it made my already churning stomach revolt. My hand slapped against my mouth and I turned to press my face into Ace's shoulder.

"He's bleeding," I whispered. "Porchemy's using spiked gloves to beat the shit out of him. He's all bruised and busted up, Ace. We shouldn't have waited to come."

Ace's fist tightened around his pipe. "Damnit, why hasn't he talked?"

"We can worry about that later," Sabo hissed. "We need to go now."

Ace stood up. "On three. One…"

Sabo squares his shoulders. "Two."

 _Here goes nothing, I guess._ I thought, eyes narrowing into a glare. "Three."

We launched forward, pipes swinging toward the rotten wood of the wall.

 _ **Ka-crack!**_ The wood shattered and the three of us let out war cries as Porchemy turned to look at us with a startled look on his face.

 _We're here, Luffy! Just hang on a little longer!_

 _ **A/N: Wow, it has been such a long time? I am so sorry to leave everyone hanging for so long. Real life and all that jazz and lame excuses. But alas, people do get busy, and sometimes writing has go to the back burner while I sort out my crap. The chapter was only half finished when I found the time to open it last week and finish it. Hopefully things will be easier to manage now, but with holiday season coming up, work is gonna be hella busy.**_

 _ **I want to thank everyone who favorited and followed this story when it updated... wow, has it really been over a year? Well, thanks to all of you, anyway.**_

 _ **I should also take time to catch up on the manga... I'm so behind. T-T But I've been re-reading and am about halfway through Alabasta. I started re-reading a month ago, so slow sailing there. It actually drove me to open the doc and get back to work on this story.**_

 _ **Anyway, enough of my babbling. But before we go...**_

 _ **QOTC: What is your favorite ASL moment? Mine would have to be when they dine and dash from the ramen place.**_


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